History of the Hermit Kingdom

The Kim family has controlled North Korea since the country’s founding in 1948. Placed into power by the Soviet Union, Kim Ilsung, who had fought against the Japanese during their occupation of the country, took North Korea to war against South Korea in 1950, hoping to unite the two. Along the way, he developed the cult of personality that continues today with his grandson, Kim Jong-un.

The war — which also served as a proxy war between China and the Soviets on one side and the US on the other — failed in its goal, saw over a million people die in battle and led to the 1953 creation of the Demilitarized Zone, known as the DMZ, which separates the two Koreas.

North Korea has self-isolated ever since, with the Kim family serving as absolute rulers. The current leader, Kim Jong-un, leads as his grandfather and father, Kim Jong-il, did, refusing to tolerate anything short of absolute fealty.

Kim Jong-un, who took power upon his father’s death in 2011, flexed his muscles early. He had his uncle Jang Song-thaek, who had been the secondmost powerful man in the country under his father, executed in 2013. He ordered the deaths of other officials who served under his father as well, claiming that some did not mourn his father assiduously enough. And while unproven, many suspect he was behind the 2016 murder of his half-brother, Kim Jong-nam, who was killed by two women wielding nerve agents in a Malaysian airport. The North Korean government denied any role in his death.

Last week President Trump announced that a date of June 12 has been set for a summit with Kim Jong-un.